JustGiving hopes to boost fundraising through new social currency

JustGiving is trialling a social currency that let givers show how much they appreciate a charity that goes beyond simply hitting the like button.

The Care button, which is being rolled out across charity pages on JustGiving over the coming weeks, allows anyone to express what they care about on the JustGiving platform and charity website.

“Today we are giving you a glimpse of a totally new way to show you care about a cause. The Care button allows you to publically express what you care about, and inspire others to do the same. And it is a powerful way for donors to personalise their experience on JustGiving,” stated Jonathan Waddingham, product manager at JustGiving, whilst unveiling Care during a join session with Facebook at the Institute of Fundraising National Convention.

It is designed to let charities reach more people on the JustGiving site and attract new fundraisers with it all a part of a number of changes being rolled out by the site to allow it to enter its next period of growth.

“Today’s digital natives interact with organisations through a wide spectrum of online engagement, from the light touch to the intensive. Building these long-term, ongoing relationships with supporters is going to be absolutely critical for charities who want to attract the next generation of givers,” Waddingham added.

Care will initially be available on JustGiving’s site and then trialled on a small collection of charity websites as part of a closed beta with Cancer Research UK the first such site to be part of the trial.

At the same time as the launch, JustGiving reported its yearly numbers that showed it helped raise over £294 million for good causes in 2013 and the site is experiencing growth of approximately 24 per cent per year.